By Jeff Lehr

jlehr@joplinglobe.com

A Jasper County judge on Monday sentenced a 48-year-old man to 10 years in prison for trafficking in crack cocaine.

Timothy Johnson, who has Kansas City and Granby addresses listed in court records, changed his plea in Jasper County Circuit Court in Joplin to guilty on a charge of second-degree trafficking in drugs.

The plea change was part of an agreement with the prosecutor’s office that dismissed a second felony drug charge and limited the prison time Johnson might be required to serve to no more than 10 years. The defendant also waived his right to a sentencing-assessment report.

Circuit Judge Gayle Crane accepted the plea bargain and assessed Johnson the 10-year term.

The conviction stems from an arrest by the Jasper County Drug Task Force on Oct. 10, 2008. A probable-cause affidavit states that task force members went to the Motel 6 on Range Line Road in Joplin to check out a tip that a man was dealing crack cocaine from a vehicle in the parking lot.

Officers found a vehicle matching the description and apprehended Johnson, the driver. A bag containing 5 grams of cocaine was found on the front seat of the vehicle, according to the affidavit. Johnson reportedly had $4,000 in cash on him when he was taken into custody.

At the Joplin City Jail, a bag containing 27 grams of rock and powder cocaine was discovered in a body cavity of the defendant, according to the affidavit.

On March 24 of this year, while Johnson was free on bail pending a trial on the trafficking charge, a search warrant was served by task force members at an address on South Waggoner Avenue. The defendant reportedly was present and was searched as a consequence of the search warrant.

A bag containing 1.3 grams of crack cocaine allegedly was found in a pocket of Johnson’s jeans, and a charge of possession with intent to deliver was filed against him. That charge was dismissed in the plea agreement.